1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support and, more particularly, to a support for a laptop computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Advancements in technology and miniaturization have made the manufacture of reliable portable, or lap top, computers possible. Laptop computers have come into widespread use for both business and personal computing needs. Companies are increasingly deciding to purchase laptop computers for their employees, particularly those employees that may be required to travel, or work from locations other than their primary office.
Laptop computers, typically powered by a battery, are often connected, through a transformer assembly or power adapter, to a conventional electrical receptacle providing 120 Volt alternating current. This avoids unnecessarily draining the battery of the laptop computer, and permits charging of the battery, when the user is, for example, in the office or at home and an electrical outlet is conveniently available. Other devices, such as full-sized keyboards, monitors, and various other peripheral devices are sometimes attached to a laptop computer when the user is, for example, in the office or at home. The laptop is often connected to those peripheral devices, including a source of electrical power, through the use of a docking station.
The docking station is typically placed on a surface, such as a desk, and receives the laptop computer. The docking station includes connectors that correspond to and mate with the corresponding connectors of the peripheral devices, thereby establishing a connection between the peripheral devices and the docking station. The docking station also has connectors which correspond to and mate with connectors on the portable computer, thereby establishing a connection between the portable computer and the docking station, and thus operatively coupling the computer and the peripheral devices. In addition to connecting the laptop computer with peripheral devices such as monitors, keyboards and printers, many docking stations also facilitate connection of the computer with a telephone and/or data line, thereby enabling the computer user to connect to a local area network or to the Internet.
By design, many docking stations facilitate the precise alignment and mating of the dense and finely-pitched connectors typically used and required in connecting a laptop computer to a peripheral device. Obviously, the structure to facilitate the precise alignment of the dense and finely-pitched connectors, and the connectors themselves, form a major portion of the cost of a docking station. With continued advancement in technology and miniaturization, the need to attach a laptop computer to peripheral devices such as monitors and keyboards is rapidly diminishing. The quality of the screens and keyboards provided as original equipment with many laptop computers has dramatically increased within the last few years. Many companies and individuals that purchase laptop computers will not or cannot bear the additional cost of purchasing peripheral devices for attachment thereto. For the above reasons, many laptop computer users are not connecting to such peripheral devices. Yet, despite similar advances in battery technology and operating life, there remains a need to connect most laptop computers to a source of power in order to prevent unnecessarily draining, and to enable charging, of the battery of the laptop computer. Furthermore, there remains a need to connect laptop computers with a telephone and/or data line to enable access to a local area network or the Internet.
The laptop, when used in the home or office, is typically attached to a docking station that is placed on a working surface of a desk. Thus, in addition to any peripheral devices to which the laptop is attached via the docking station, the docking station and laptop are further occupying limited desk space.
What is needed in the art is a laptop support that facilitates connection of the laptop to a power source and to a telephone and/or data line and which does not occupy limited desk top space.